


Winters Crest

by Multifandom_damnation



Series: Brothers, Remember? [6]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Awards Presentation, Canonical Character Death, Childhood Memories, Episode Related, Gen, Minor Keyleth/Vax'ildan (Critical Role), Minor Percival "Percy" Fredrickstein Von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III/Vex'ahlia, Repressed Memories, Sharing Clothes, Sibling Love, Tattoos, Team as Family, a fic made from a throw away comment in ep95, what do you mean vex and cassandra aren't best friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-08
Updated: 2019-03-08
Packaged: 2019-11-13 19:40:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18037622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Multifandom_damnation/pseuds/Multifandom_damnation
Summary: Winter’s Crest had finally arrived and after a year apart since they had defeated the Chroma Conclave once and for all, Vox Machina were meeting back in Whitestone to celebrate before going on a much-needed family vacation, and Vax, in a moment of horrifying distress, was seated on Percy’s bed as he dug through his wardrobe in search for something respectable to wear. “Uh, thanks for this Freddy.”“Not a worry,” Percy replied, voice muffled from where his head was buried within the confines of the dark closet. “I hardly remembered that you don’t wear that dreadful smelling armour every moment of the day and I couldn’t let you looking battle-ready for your sister’s big night, could I?”





	Winters Crest

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah, I know this is pretty shitty, but I just rewatched the holiday episode again and Vax makes the comment about not wearing the Raven Queen's armour all the time so he borrows some of Percy's hand me downs and I just felt like I had to write this. It probably won't make sense, I wrote it all when I arrived early to Uni. Yeah, I go to Uni now. Despite how shitty this is, I hope you enjoy it anyway x

Winter’s Crest had finally arrived and after a year apart since they had defeated the Chroma Conclave once and for all, Vox Machina were meeting back in Whitestone to celebrate before going on a much-needed family vacation, and Vax, in a moment of horrifying distress, was seated on Percy’s bed as he dug through his wardrobe in search for something respectable to wear. “Uh, thanks for this Freddy.”

“Not a worry,” Percy replied, voice muffled from where his head was buried within the confines of the dark closet. “I hardly remembered that you don’t wear that dreadful smelling armour every moment of the day and I couldn’t let you looking battle-ready for your sister’s big night, could I?”

Vax shifted uncomfortably from where he sat on the edge of Percy’s bed. He wasn’t used to seeing the noble without his coat draped over his shoulders or his ascot around his neck or a weapon at his side, but in the comfort of his own home and without any threat hanging over their heads, Vax was glad his friend finally felt at ease. “It doesn’t smell anymore. Keyleth fixed it up and put some flower scented oils in it, so it stopped smelling like a corpse ages ago.”

Without turning away from his task, Percy nodded. “I always knew that Keyleth would be the one to fix you up.” Vax noticed for the first time that Percy was wearing a strange, gaudy pair of glasses that he had never seen before and wondered what the hell happened to his other ones. He pulled out a long coat from the cupboard before frowning at it and putting it back.

“You don’t need to pull out your most elaborate outfits for me, Percival.” Vax insisted, fiddling with his belt buckle. “It’s really not that fancy an event.”

“Nonsense,” Percy threw a pair of breaches onto the bed beside Vax and the rogue looked down suspiciously at the expensive fabric, while perfectly made, looked like they hadn’t been worn in many years. “It is a very important occasion and I must insist that you look your best. We’re relatively the same size but it only makes sense that you borrow some of my fineries.”

Vax plucked at the golden intricacies of the stitching. “They look like they haven’t been worn in ages, Freddy. You mean to tell me that you noble fucks don’t party every now and again?”

Percy paused in his digging and his shoulders went rigid. “We haven’t had much excuse for a party since the Briarwoods, I’m afraid.” His voice was so quiet. Vax winced. “But alas, now that all our troubles are behind us and can finally begin pulling out these relics from their shelves.”

“I appreciate the generosity,” Vax said genuinely as another outfit was tossed onto the bed and he was in awe at the fine fabrics and materials that must have cost a fortune. Despite their mother being a seamstress, the twins would never have seen such attire in all their lives, much less touched it or worn it to special festivities. “But do you happen to have anything less… flashy?” He knew very well that Vex would be wearing her most outrageous and expensive clothes, Scanlan too as most of his outfits was usually gaudy, and maybe Grog would even put a shirt on, but Vax had never been one to find any enjoyment in standing out and showing off.

And besides, he'd be at Keyleth’s side for the entire night and he had no worries about being overshadowed by the leader of the Air Ashari. And his magnificent girlfriend.

Frowning, Percy turned back to the wardrobe and muttered under his breath, as if he were trying to find a memory by saying its name. He pulled open another door and went digging for another few moments before pulling away and presenting Vax with another suit. While it was obviously tailored to perfection and expertly made, it was in shades of brown and black hues and there was no gold in sight. “I think my brother brought this for me when he was on a trade rout with some city to the south, but it’s been sitting there ever since.”

“That’s more my speed,” Vax chuckled and he caught it when Percy tossed it to him. “I can’t ever imagine you wearing something as drab as this.”

Percy strolled over with a plain looking ascot in his hand and gently ran his hands over the fabric with a fond yet sad smile on his face. “I swore that I would wear it someday, as a tribute to Julius, but the memories of the time before everything went to shit are rather painful ones. Besides, it’s too similar to what I wore when I was trying to forget who I was and that is a time in my life I am trying to move past.”

Curious, Vax watched as Percy moved about the room, collecting items for Vax to wear with his new garments. “I’m sure your family would be very proud of you Percy, and of what you’ve become, if they were here.”

Scoffing, Percy returned to Vax with an armful of glittery and expensive items. “Some of them, maybe.” He waved a hand absently at the accessories. “Chose what you’d like- I have some more around the castle somewhere if none of them are to your fancy.”

“I would have thought the Briarwoods had destroyed all of these,” Vax mused as he picked up a rather intricate broach with a blue jewel in the centre and filigree arranged around it like the petals of a flower. “Or at the very least put them somewhere nobody would find them.”

“As did I,” Percy said and there was something smug in his voice. “but despite whatever my sister may say about herself and the love lost for our family, she has a very good talent for hiding things.” He flopped onto the bed beside Vax and crossed his hands behind his head. “Go on- see if they fit. If not, I’ll have to go find something else. There may be something in the other rooms.”

Slowly, Vax stood and ran his hands over the clothing he had been handed. While it wasn’t exactly the most appealing thing he knew he could find in the castle, it was still made of the nicest silk that Vax had ever felt. While there was still stitching, it wasn’t in the same gold as most of Percy’s other outfits, it was a royal blue. The cuffs were white and they matched by the ascot Percy threw on the bed. Even the underclothes were finely made and Vax wondered again if his mother had ever felt something so amazing in all her life. Behind him, Percy huffed impatiently. “Vax, really, if you wanted something to ogle at, my parent's clothing is in the main bedroom. I could give you much more impressive things. Hell, I could give you some clothes to wear on the road if that’s what you really want.”

Silently, Vax peeled off his own clothes and dropped them to pool on the floor around his feet. Percy hummed. “You tattoo is looking good. I would have thought that because of the method used it would take a little longer to heal, but it seems to be doing well.”

“Well, the Ashari people are rather good at what they do,” Vax laughed as he slid the undershirt over his head and tied up the lacings. “It was Keyleth’s that was the most complicated. It took many hours just to do the outline.”

“And that thing on your chest?” Percy asked innocently, inspecting his nails as if he didn’t really care, but Vax knew that if he was asking at all it meant he cared very much. Vax bit his lip. “That doesn’t look much like a tattoo, and I’m sure Keyleth would have mentioned it in her very excited retelling of the experience if it were.”

Vax took a breath and continued replacing his clothes with Percy’s hand-me-downs. “Honestly, I’m not sure where it’s from. But it doesn’t hurt, so it can’t be that much of a problem.”

Percy was silent as Vax finished and only stood from his comfortable recline when Vax tried and failed to properly tie the ascot. “Come here, it’s like this.” He spun Vax around and expertly began to knot the fabric around his friend’s neck and tucked it into the shirt. “Sit.” He forced Vax onto the floor and sat on the bed with the half-elf between his open legs.

Confused, Vax tried to twist around to see what the human was doing. “What are you…?” he began but then he felt Percy’s nimble and calloused fingers in his hair, crossing the strands over each other. “Why are you braiding my hair?”

“Because it’s a mess and we’re attending a special event, not getting into an arm wrestling match with a bunch of trolls,” Percy explained like it was obvious. “I also don’t want your lovely sister to question me as to why I let you leave the castle looking like you just got into a tussle with a drunken Grog.”

“I didn’t know you knew how to braid,” Vax said quietly as he settled back against the bed. “I was actually planning to teach you when we had the time, in case you ever needed to do it for Vex'ahlia but I’m surprised to say that I apparently don’t need to.”

Snorting, Percy tied off the braid and moved on to another section. “I am one of 7 children, and three of them were women. If my mother or the maids were busy, it was up to us brothers to do their hair, so Vesper made sure we learnt quickly.”

“Still,” Vax continued, closing his eyes as Percy’s finger’s worked. “It’s such a gentle and delicate thing and you’re…”

Abruptly, Percy interrupted. “Are you surprised that I am capable of something other than raw brutality and violence?”

Vax opened his eyes. “That’s not what I meant.”

“I know. It doesn’t matter.” Task completed, Percy took his hands away from Vax’s hair and clapped him on the shoulder. He stood and moved around Vax, who was still sitting on the floor with on leg bent and confusion on his face. Percy admired himself in the mirror for a moment and adjusted his clothing. “We should finish up soon, otherwise the girls are going to come looking for us.”

Suddenly, there was a swift knock on the door and when Percy opened it, Cassandra and Vex were standing there, both in their most extravagant dresses as was expected. While Cassandra wore the heavy purple skirts like it was a chore she had been forced into, Vex wore it with pride and poise. “There you are.” Cassandra sighed, exasperated. “The event is about to start and you’re in here having a tea party instead of helping me prepare for the speech.”

“My apologies, Cass,” Percy laughed, moving to the door. “I just had to make sure Vax had something to wear other than his mouldy armour.”

Vex leaned around the door and peered into the room and saw her brother on the floor. “Get up darling, you’re going to get all dirty before we even begin.” She looked him up and down and frowned. “Don’t get me wrong, Percy dear, that is a lovely looking outfit but I’ve never seen it before. I hope you didn’t have one tailored just for one night.”

“Julius brought it for him.” Cassandra smiled. “You never did end up wearing that thing. He brought it as a joke, you know.”

“Oh, I do,” Percy laughed, joining is sister outside the room. “Let me just go get changed and I’ll meet you in the dining room.”

Sighing, Cassandra patted Vex on the shoulder as she passed. “I'll see you later dear. I have to go and make sure my brother doesn’t force us to deal with his horrible fashion sense for an entire night.” She rolled her eyes and Vex giggled at her. “You see what ridiculousness he wears when he goes adventuring with you lot.”

Percy’s voice could be distantly heard down the hall, calling out obscenities and complaining loudly. Cass sent her eyes skywards and followed.

Smiling after them, Vex entered the room with her royal blue skirts swishing around her legs. They were more modest than Cassandra’s dresses but no less magnificent. “Come on, we best not keep Tary waiting. You know how he gets with these sort of things.” She reached out and helped her brother stand. She glanced behind him. “Your hair looks nice. I’m glad you tied it up, it was looking a little messy.” She frowned at him. “Are you alright, darling?”

“Yeah, I’m alright.” Vax smiled, taking his sister's hand. “You look lovely, by the way. I didn’t think you’d clean up this nicely but when you’re going to be awarded something I suppose you’d want to put some effort in.”

“Shut up,” Vex elbowed him in the rubs and he laughed at the look on her face. She leant in close. “I wonder what Keyleth will think to finally see you out of that stupid armour?”

“How does she look?”

“Amazing. Absolutely wonderful. I dressed her myself, so you better believe she looks fantastic.”

Grinning, Vax threw his arm around his sister’s shoulders and pulled her in close. “Oh Stubby, I knew I could count on you.”

And if they heard loud, familial bickering through the door to Percy’s room, neither of them mentioned it, not even when he arrived at the event dressed and groomed much better than he normally was. And if Cassandra looked smug when attendees told him how good he looked, they kept their smiles behind their hands.


End file.
